Hilltop RV Park

     We stopped at Hilltop RV Park for an overnighter because it was on the freeway and just not a whole lot to see.  We were pleasantly surprised by how nice the park is.  The park is very well maintained and was a welcome change from our prior night camping off the freeway.  There are tiled patios, with picnic tables at each site.  They also have a small courtesy fence between your site and your neighbor’s utility connections.  The dog park was nice. There is a small pool and a community fire pit for people to share.  Plus there’s a discount for paying with cash.  Our nice 50amp site was $27 a night.  Also, Fort Stockton is just a couple of miles down the road where we took advantage of buying groceries and gas.  This is definitely a campground we’ll use again crossing Texas.

From the website:

We are the newest RV park in Ft. Stockton and the surrounding area. Our location is as unique as our park and the views of the plateaus, mountains and valley are truly awesome.

Highland Woods Travel Park

     We decided on camping here in the city near Fort Lauderdale so that we could visit my cousin Loren Brown.  Breezy Hill & Highland Woods are next to each other and share ownership.  I originally picked Breezy Hill because it has a much nicer pool, but changed to Highland Woods because Breezy Hill doesn't allow pets.  Both parks this time of year are pretty much empty and with the rain, we didn't get a chance to use the pool anyway.  The park is old and is set up weird.  It has staggering sites, a short 30amp site next to a long 50amp site.  The other odd thing is that the septic connections are located directly under your RV.  We are not all that impressed with the park, it needs a lot of work.  When you are booked into Highland woods, you'll arrive here to find that there is no place to check in.  You have to know to check in at Breezy Hill then turn around and drive down the street to get to Highland Woods.  The gates here are placebos and have no code, just drive up and they open from either direction.  There are signs stating that it is patrolled by security, but I'm guessing those are placebos as well.  I think that I will avoid this park in the future.

     We did take a drive around town and checked out Pompano Beach, which was very nice.  After an hour or so we drove up A1A along the beach 20 miles or so but really couldn't view the beach from the road.  However there were very nice homes on the beach side of the road and beautiful yachts along the channel side, so it wasn't a bad drive.  After that, we met my cousin (who I hadn't seen in 40 years) for lunch.  That was great!

    Located in South Florida's Pompano Beach, Highland Woods Travel Park offers daily, weekly, monthly, and annual rates on 147 full-hookup sites. Each site features a lawn area and patio. Dining, shopping and sporting events are all located nearby.

A tropical Fort Lauderdale RV resort near the Atlantic Ocean
     Enjoy the shores of the beautiful Atlantic Ocean in South Florida when visiting Highland Woods RV Resort. Located in South Florida's Pompano Beach, we're a tropical RV resort boasting spectacular amenities and activities. Relax at the pool, play a game of horseshoes or snuggle up with a book at the library.

     A variety of local activities are available within minutes of this Fort Lauderdale RV park. Deep sea fishing, dining, shopping, gaming, and golf are all popular pastimes among our guests. Our sites can accommodate motorcoaches up to 40 feet, and all 147 sites feature full hook-ups. We also offer daily, weekly, monthly, and annual rates.

     Come and take in the sights and shops of South Florida or stroll along our miles of beaches while enjoying the warm tropical breezes of the Atlantic Ocean.

Hidden Valley Mountain Park, Tijeras, New Mexico

      After a very long drive from Oklahoma, we finally reached Hidden Valley Park.  We were assigned a site (after a $6.45 charge per night for 50 amps) and pulled forward to disconnect only to find the car battery was dead.  So I drove the motorhome up to our site and got the AC running for the Yahoos (the dogs) while Jackie found someone to jump the car, only then did I remember that I had the car keys.  In short time, we got the car going and set up camp.  The park was just that, a place to park with utilities, it had neither the feel of a resort or a campground.  The roads are all dirt and gravel while the sites are tight and not well maintained.  There was hardly room to walk down the right side of the coach, so forget about setting up chairs or the barbecue.  We walked around the park and found the pool drained and the pet area to be a small space alongside the road behind a sign.  

     We did have the good fortune to meet some nice folks that invited us to sit and chat.  They had an end site so they were able to set out chairs.  However, it was located on a busy corner with clouds of dust everytime someone came around the corner faster than 5mp (which was pretty much everyone)  Again, good company made up for the dust issue.  We also made a trip down into Albuquerque to run some errands, visit the National Museum of Nuclear History and Science, and have lunch at Whataburger (our new favorite fast food burger place since we discovered them in South Texas).  Albuquerque is a beautiful city and we would enjoy spending more time here.

     Back in the park, the staff and the people we met while there were very nice, but I think that in the future, we'll probably pass on a second visit.  

Address:

844B State Hwy 333
Tijeras, NM 87059
Phone: (505) 281-3363
Fax: (505) 281-2026
Reservations Phone: (505) 281-3363
Reservations Fax: (505) 281-2026
Resort Information: Resort is 10 miles east of Albuquerque, a short distance from the Sandia Crest Ski and Recreation Area. Nearby: national forest, ghost towns, Indian pueblos, Rio Grande Zoo, Coronado Ruins, and Monument. Albuquerque's western edge reveals a history page of petroglyphs, volcano cliffs, and the Folsom Man Site.
Web Site: hiddenvalley-rvpark.com
EMail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Full Sites: 104
Partial Sites: 2
Pull-through Sites: 59
Check-In/Check-Out Times: 1 p.m.-4 p.m./ 11:00 a.m.
Open: Jan 1 to Dec 31
Peak: May 1 to Oct 15
Maximum Electrical Service: 50 amps
WiFi Available: Yes
Maximum RV Length: 45 feet
Elevation: 6607.0000
Amenities: Recreation Hall, outdoor pool (seasonal), playground, nature hiking trails, basketball court, fitness room, tenting, gift shop, hot showers, picnic tables, dump station, mountain setting, terraced sites, laundry, TV room, full kitchen for groups, library, tourist attractions nearby. Nearby: National forest, ghost towns, Indian pueblos, Rio Grande Zoo, Coronado Ruins, and Monument.
RV Notes: Coast rate not honored in Oct during Balloon Fest. June is in high demand, make a reservation as early as possible. Rate includes 2 people. Additional charges: 30 amp $3.23/night, 50 amp $6.45/night. After hours check-in box. Internet access in clubhouse, Wi-Fi access in lower level sites only.
Accepts Pets: Yes
Visitor Mail Accepted: Yes

Harbor View RV & Camping Resort, Colonial Beach, Virginia

     The trip to Harbor View is another fun-filled nightmare of no-shouldered backroads, but very doable.  The campground assigns you a site and escorts you to its location.  It probably wasn't the site I would have chosen, but the next day really great people moved in across the way which made the site perfect.  The campground is nice, but like a lot of the Thousand Trails parks, it could use some work.  It looks like projects that got started years ago never got finished and things like the tennis courts were just let go.  The very small game room was the only "Rec Center" available.  There was a larger room that was locked up for special events.  Repaving the main road and adding more gravel to the camping loops and sites would go a long way.  Sometimes I get too critical of these membership campgrounds, but they are what they are.  Overall the campground had a good camping feel, lots of trees, green grass, and friendly people.  We would certainly return there in the future. 

     We chose Harbor View because it was the closest campground in our network of membership campgrounds to Washington DC.  It was sixty-some miles to a Metro station and a quick train ride into the city.  On our visit to the capital, we spent four and a half hours of our day traveling to and from the city.  Once in the city we walked a little over six miles and took in as much of the city as we could during our short visit.  To see the city, you really need to stay in the city and take a week or two.  We did manage to visit several memorials, spend part of an hour in the American History Museum (Smithsonian), eat off a "roach-coach" with an albino squirrel (probably the most photographed squirel in the city) and join the poor people's march. (Fight Poverty, not the Poor) It's too bad the drive kept us from spending more than just the one day.  

     Just five miles down the road from the campground is Popes Creek, Washington's birthplace.  It's a 500 plus acre park with a nice visitor's center and offers an hour or so walking tour with a park ranger.  It is well worth the visit.  We learned quite a bit.  The one thing that stuck with me was that King George would give colonial farmers three free acres for every slave that they owned in hopes of controlling more land than Spain or France in the Americas.  We also visited Westmoreland State Park which has a nice campground, a beautiful pool and a beach along the Patomic River that was great for hunting shark teeth fossils.  Finally, on our last day, we checked out the town of Colonial Beach.  Along the beach road, were osprey nests every other block and we got to see about a dozen osprey in about a half-mile strip.

Explore historic towns from a Harbor View RV Campground
     Historic towns are at your fingertips when booking your stay at Harbor View RV resort. Quaint waterside towns, nearby wineries and an array of on-site amenities make staying at this Harbor View campground a memorable experience.

     Become one with nature and soak up the beauty of the Virginia countryside. Nearby colonial towns offer a look into American history while access to the nation's capital is well worth a visit. A pristine location combined with endless recreation make Harbor View Resort a vacation you won't want to pass up!

Greenwood Lodge & Campsites, Woodford, Vermont

     Since there were no membership campgrounds alone my route through Vermont, we looked at other options.  (I typed in "campgrounds along Route 9 in Vermont" on Google Maps)  I reserved a couple of nights several months ahead of time and had to mail a check because they don't accept credit.  It seemed like a hassle, but I'm glad that I did.  We arrived at the campground in the early afternoon and were shown which site was ours.  It an excellent site so I don't mind that I didn't pick it.  I'm sure I could have changed if I wanted to.  First of all, I have never been in a campground where the owners took so much pride in it.  Every campsite was nice, there are acres of green grass and three ponds to canoe in.  All of the sites are very well maintained as well as all of the roads.  The tent sites were secluded but with views over-looking the ponds.  Each one having both a garbage and a recycling can all with very nice picnic tables and fire rings.  The lodge is used for showers and bathrooms.  None of the RV sites have septic, but there is a free dump station.  The campground is located pretty much at the summit of route 9 next to a ski resort and surrounded by forest.  The owners have made walking trails and built bridges and even an RC track and obstacle course.  I just can't say enough how beautiful and well maintained this campground is.  

     We were there for just two nights so we just had time to check out the local towns, parks, historic sites, and covered bridges.  Vermont is beautiful, worth spending more time here.  Oh and we bought some Vermont maple syrup. 

311 Greenwood Drive, Woodford, VT P.O. Box 246 Bennington, VT 05201

Phone: (802) 442-2547 | Fax: (802) 442-2547
May 20 to October 26

Owned or Managed by Ed, Ann, and Chris Shea

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: https://campvermont.com/greenwood

Sites: 40 Overnight / 8 Pull-thrus / 20 No Hookups / 20 E & W / Max. Length: 70

Rental Units: Rooms - 4

Amenities: Store Close by / Boating / WiFi / Dump Station / Firewood / Recreational Hall / Pavilion / Hot Showers / Flush Toilets / Universally Accessible / Pets Welcome

Recreation: Fishing / Hike & Bike / Swimming: Pond

Nearby Attractions: Bennington Museum, Car Show, Garlic Festival, Old Castle Theatre. Wilmington Flea Market, Mt. Snow, Bromley Slide, Mass Moca, Rockwell Museum, Tanglewood

Nearby Cities / Towns: Bennington, Wilmington Manchester, and Wilmington

Description: Clean, well-maintained, up-to-date facilities. Scenic Green Mountain setting. Hostel w/dorms, private bedrooms. Separate, spacious tent/RV campsites, Big Rigs Welcome, blue-boy loaners. All-inclusive facilities cost. $ Firewood. Mountain biking trails and river-walk. For everyone's enjoyment camping guidelines are enforced to provide a peaceful, uncrowded, friendly atmosphere. Quiet, non-aggressive pets welcome w/restrictions.

Grayland Beach State Park

     Our visit to Grayland Beach State Park was picture perfect!  It was very hot in the city and the beach was wonderfully cooler at 75 degrees.  We had been told by Jackie's sister that the park was really nice, in fact, her favorite.  We got there and found out why.  The park was beautiful.  All the sites were paved, level and very clean.  The site with yurts also had very long driveways with room for large RVs.  There are three loops along the beach and a few pull-through sites along the road between them.  The photo here is what woods is like along the beach.  There are a couple of loops as you enter the park before you get to the beach area that is also paved and clean, but the woods are denser and I notice that there were more bugs further from the beach.

      Jackie's sister Tammy and her husband Eric were at the campground already when we arrived.  They joined us for a hike out on the beach which was wide and flat.  Just north of the park, there is a beach access where people can drive onto the beach.  Not sure how I feel about that.  After dinner (in town at the local tavern) we came back and spent the evening sitting around the camp fire listening to Eric tell stories about their Africa trips. 

     Overall, I can't say enough good things about the park.  According to Tammy and Eric, it is one of the best birder campgrounds around.  We are looking forward to our next trip back.  To get the better sites along the beach you need to reserve way ahead of time.  We got lucky this go round.  When I go back, I'd be happy to get the same site again. 

     It's nice to have long arms when taking a "selfy"  Jackie and me on Grayland Beach Washington.

Grandy Creek 1000 Trails/KOA Campground, Concrete, Washington

Grande Hot Springs RV Resort

     We picked this campground as a halfway stop between Deschutes River and Boise.   The campground has more of a parking lot feel than a campground, but it is still nice.  The grounds offer a heated pool and spa tub.  There is a small store and a 24-hour laundromat.  We also found a nice treed grassy area for picnics & tent camping.  I think that what I most like about the park is the birds.  On the grounds were a pair of osprey and a pair of geese with a gaggle of goslings following close behind.

From their website

Grande Hot Springs Resort is the place to stay in the scenic Grande Rhonde Valley of northeast Oregon. We’re situated 8 miles south of downtown La Grande.

Our facilities will impress you, with 100 grassy, pull-thru sites, 30 & 50 amp service, tent sites, sparkling clean resort-style restrooms and much more.
The perfect stop on your vacation!

Grande Hot Springs Resort is the perfect destination for all types of travelers and offers you clean and comfortable RV and tent site accommodations. Our pool & spa are available to all registered guests (open seasonally May to September, and sometimes longer/call for availability).

We have two Yurts with private soaking tubs. And a vintage Airstream Trailer available for over-night stays.

Conveniently located beside historic Hot Lake Springs as well as on the Oregon Trail, the park is only a short drive from downtown La Grande and Union. Open year-round, it is also a great place to be if your desire is to explore ANTHONY LAKES or the EAGLE CAP WILDERNESS AREA of Wallowa County. Stay here once and you will always remember Grande Hot Springs Resort as your home-away-from-home in La Grande.

Grand Canyon Trailer Village RV Park

    Trailer Village RV Park, what can I say.  The best thing about the RV park is its location, right in the middle of the West Grand Canyon Rim National Park.  The RV park and the National Park are better described separately.  The RV park has over 100 pull-through sites of varying length and facilities.  We did manage to reserve a site long enough for our coach, but we had to cheat and park the dinghy off the driveway and in the camping site.  Actually, most of the sites had about ten feet before the next site began and it sort of felt like a parking lot, although there were trees.  The biggest issue I had, (and I’m sorry to admit this) is that there was no cell or Internet service.  At least not via AT&T.  However, we did find plenty to do without the internet.  But at the end of the day, it would have been nice to send pictures back to friends and family.  (with 5 million people visiting the Grand Canyon every year, you might think that the Internet would be a no-brainer) But like I said, the park’s greatest asset is its location.   From there, we could walk to the rim and follow it to the west to the end of the “tourist area” and take the free shuttle back to the campground.  On the second day, we walked the east end of the rim trail from the campground.  If you have a couple of days to spend in the park I would very much recommend this RV Park for its convenience.

     The one thing I can’t express enough about the Grand Canyon is its overwhelming awe power.  When we saw the canyon for the first time, it was truly intense.  The size and the beauty that just can’t be caught in a picture.  This is a place that everyone should put on their bucket lists.  We couldn’t get enough of it and fortunately the rim trail is several miles long.  Long enough to get out of the public from time to time and just enjoy its beauty for ourselves.  Not only is its beauty a great part of its attraction but the history of the canyon itself is very interesting as well.  We also took our car along the rim to the east twenty-five miles to Desert View Watch Tower.  Along the way we found several spots to stop and take photos of the canyon.  Unfortunately, we got there too late in the evening for things to be open, but just in time for the sunset.   The park is well maintained, most trails are paved and except for the east end of the rim trail, bicycles are not allowed.  The one thing I did notice about the tourists in the park is that they were more than willing to step off the trail and hang out over the canyon for the perfect photo shot.  It was pretty scary to watch at times.  The other thing about the park is that they don’t sell bottled water.  You have to buy their twenty-dollar souvenir water bottles and fill them with spring water from several different locations throughout the park.  However, they are not working until summer, so while there, in late May we were hard-pressed to find drinking water short of going back to the campground.  Overall, we loved the park and plan on returning often.  I would recommend buying $80 one year National Park pass that’s good for four people.  It’s $30 to enter the park each visit.

GRAND CANYON RV'ING AT ITS FINEST

This is the trip your RV was made to go on. Trailer Village® RV Park is the only in-park RV park with full hookups and it's incredibly close to the Grand Canyon's South Rim. Set within a high desert landscape, the Trailer Village RV Park is a paved pull-through site perfect for vehicles up to 50 feet long. Best of all, it's open year-round.

FULL RV HOOKUPS INSIDE THE GRAND CANYON

Important information:

• Check-in time: 12 p.m.
• Check-out time: 12 p.m.
• Quiet hours: 10 p.m. - 8 a.m.
• Charcoal fires only. No wood fires allowed.
• Pets must be kept on a leash at all times. Please clean up after them.
• Due to water shortages, washing your vehicle is prohibited.
• All trash must be placed in dumpsters.
• Satellite users: The Grand Canyon's ZIP code is 86023

Hours of Operation (Registration Kiosk)

Jan. 1 to March 25 = 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
March 26 to Oct. 21 = 7 a.m. - 9 pm.
Oct. 22 to Dec. 31 = 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

For guests arriving after the Registration Kiosk has closed for the day:

• If you have a guaranteed reservation, a notice will be posted on the welcome building door with your last name, reservation number, and the site number you are assigned to.
• If you do NOT have a reservation, there will be a sign posted at the welcome building with available sites listed (if any).

Gateway to Cape Cod RV Campground, Rochester, Massachusetts

      Gateway to Cape Cod falls in the category of a campground vs. a resort.  The camping sites were large, treed, and all have fire rings and a picnic table, so it gave you the camping feel from the get-go.  The section that we camped in was mostly people camping and not residing in the campground, which added to the camping feel.  The campground also has many resort-like amenities, like a pool, tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts. (although the courts were far from level)  There is a snack bar/restaurant opened for three meals on most days and there seemed to be plenty of activities going on.  On the downside, the rec-room and the mini-golf course might need of some TLC and the dirt roads had several potholes that you could swim across.  Overall, the campground had a warm welcoming feel to it and is definitely one we would return to.  As it happened it was also a great place to meet new friends.

     The campground is located at the base of Cape Cod and is only a half an hour drive from Plymouth to the north and New Bedford to the south.  Both towns are rich in history, which is always fun for us.  While we were in Plymouth the Draken was in town our tour.  The Draken is a replica of a Viking ship used a thousand years ago.    We also drove out to Provincetown (P-town) at the very tip of the cape.  (the spot where the Pilgrims actually first landed in Nov. of 1620)  As it turns out Provincetown is home to and a destination point to a large LGBT community which made for a very enjoyable if not colorful visit.  We will have to return when we have more time, we made the mistake of driving out there on a Saturday and the slow traffic ate up most of the day.

A peaceful hidden gem Cape Cod RV resort
      Explore The Cape with a visit to our Cape Cod RV Resort. Conveniently located near ocean beaches, Gateway to Cape Cod features RV Camping access to beautiful, wooded sites and an array of amenities and activities to enjoy. Explore the scenery along bike paths, spend a day splashing in the ocean, fish along the shores or get out on the water in a kayak or canoe.

   Gateway to Cape Cod RV Resort is a true hidden gem. It's close to attractions like Plymouth Rock yet away from the hustle and bustle. Our friendly staff looks forward to helping you create a memorable vacation, whether you prefer to unwind by the campfire or pursue more adventurous activities. Our Cape Cod RV Resort encompasses the essence of a true Cape Cod vacation.